It’s Our Birthday! 40 Years in Fine Wine

It’s our birthday! #NBI40Yrs

This year we’re marking 40 years in the world of fine wine — four whole decades of sharing with you the bottles we love best.

Alto Adige to Chablis. Mâcon-Vergisson to Montalcino. Piedmont to Saint-Joseph. Over the decades we’ve personally visited every locale — to kick rocks, taste from tank and barrel, and crucially, forge life-long friendships and partnerships. As your importer, we’ve brought you wines that delight and inspire, encouraging you to share your discoveries with those you love.

This year we’ll be celebrating with grand portfolio tastings, special wine dinners, community events and more. You’re invited to join in the fun!

But first, a bit of history. Let’s turn back the clock to 1979.

Berkeley, California. A small wine shop opens on Shattuck Avenue, just a few doors up the street from Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse restaurant. The Cheese Board Collective across the way draws early “foodies” eager to sample cheeses and baguettes deliciously like those from Parisian boulangeries.

This burgeoning gourmet center in north Berkeley was the start of a culinary movement that for many, is now second-nature: farm-to-table foods, a focus on handmade goods, deep respect for a farmer’s toil.

In short order we moved from showcasing California wines, renowned the world over (the legendary “Judgment of Paris” happened in 1976), to importing small lots of wine from France, crafted by family winemakers who for us personified the Berkeley ethos: artisanal, natural, honest.

Importantly, we were one of the first retail stores to import wine directly to the United States. It’s a distinction that above all, benefits you, the wine lover — as the single connection from winemaker to wine drinker, we ensure the highest of quality, literally door-to-door.

And decades later, we can say with pride that our philosophy has remained the same, even though as a company we have grown — importing fine wines from both France and Italy as well as distributing those imports to leading wine bars and restaurants.

Because we’re still at home in north Berkeley, and our roots here are deep and true. Community means everything to us — our partner-growers and our client-friends — and we are thankful for your support over these many years.

Which is why we are so excited that we are moving our retail shop from Martin Luther King Jr. Way back to 1505 Shattuck Avenue later this year! We’ll be sharing with you updates on this move over the next months.

So, let’s raise a toast to 40 years of fine wine — and to many more years of sharing great stories and bottles, of treasures from the cellar and perfect moments, of friendship and real community. It’s been a great ride, and we can’t wait for the adventures to come.